Motohiro Kaneta is a visiting professor of Brno University of Technology since September, 2011. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering at Kyushu Institute of Technology (KIT) in 1966. He obtained his MSci. and DSci. Degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Kyushu University in 1968 and 1974, respectively. He joined KIT as a Lecturer in 1971 and was appointed a professor in 1984.

He established the first tribology laboratory in KIT. He retired from KIT in 2008 as a professor Emeritus of KIT. After that he was a professor of Kyushu Kyoritsu University (private university) until March, 2011, because the faculty of engineering was closed. He has supervised 296 students under graduates, 85 in graduates and 8 PhD students with research subjects in tribology.

When he was at the vibration laboratory for one year as a bachelor student, the professor, who was a great researcher in mechanical vibration, introduced a great scientist Professor Fujio Hirano of Kyushu University, who developed the tribology world, and recommended to join his laboratory. Then Motohiro Kaneta joined the tribology laboratory of Kyushu University as a master and doctor student for 5 years.

From 1976 to 1978 he spent two years in Professor Cameron’s tribology laboratory at Imperial College in London, where he learnt on the optical interferometry technique developed at the laboratory to study rough surface elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL).

His major research fields are Sealing, Rolling contact Fatigue and EHL. He made important contributions to our understanding of the sealing mechanism of flexible reciprocating seals, and to the tribological performance and cracking problems of mechanical seals. His results are presently used as principal design concepts. He has developed a fracture mechanics approach to explain the mechanism of rolling contact fatigue crack growth. He has extended this work and explained the generation mechanism of dark spot defect, which occurs on surfaces of railway rails carrying high speed traffic. He has carried out seminal research in rough surface and transient EHL. In particular, his pioneering work on dimple formation has changed our views based on the classical EHL theory into the thermal EHL theory.

His source of study and his interest is to consider why such tribological phenomena occur. Tribology is the science and technology between rubbing surfaces. Usually, we cannot directly observe the actual rubbing surfaces. To look at the blind world like a real world and to succeed in explaining the phenomenon are very exciting.

When was the first time you met someone from BUT? How did your collaboration started? What was the aim of the project?

I met Professors Martin Hartl and Ivan Krupka firstly in 1997, when they visited our tribology laboratory in KIT. Since then we have met several times at international tribology conferences.

What were the main reasons for you to come here, to the Czech Republic? And why did you choose our university?

In 2010, I received an e-mail from Prof. Krupka and was sounded out the possibility of joining to the tribology laboratory in BUT when his application was accepted. I considered for more than one week and also discussed with my wife, and then I decided to accept his very kind invitation, because I had nothing to do after the closing of faculty of engineering in Kyushu Kyoritsu University at the end of March 2011, although I had never visited the Czech Republic and I have only known that Czech Slovakia have produced good machinery.

On what project are you working at the moment? How are you satisfied with cooperation of your Czech team, Czech colleagues or possibly PhD. students?

My colleagues and I are now working to open a new field of thermal EHL based on experimental and theoretical analyses. The cooperation of laboratory member is excellent.

How would you evaluate the level of research at BUT (equipment, facilities, possibilities)?

I am sure that the optical interferometry facilities and the measuring technique in BUT is the greatest of the universities in all the world and the activity of staffs and students are great. Also new facilities have been designed and equipped. I surely evaluate that the level of research at the tribology laboratory is very high.

How do you like our university and faculty? What would you suggest to improve here? Can you compare it with research in Japan? What is similar and what are the main differences?

I like our faculty in BUT very much and spending happy days, while being helped many staffs and students. I do not know the University system of this faculty. However, the followings seem to be improved: of course even in Japan there are still similar situations.

(a) Staffs have many administration works. Some of administration works should be done by non-academic staffs.

(b) It seems to be difficult to obtain quickly something which needs for the research and education. So I think that economic system should be improved a little bit.

(c) There is usually no window in the laboratory room. It is therefore difficult to judge if I can enter the room.

In BUT, PhD students must give lectures to students. This system seems to be good although they may be retarded their research works. They can understand through their lectures the principle of science and technology. And also they can find many questions in their lectures so that such problems will give them their next step.

I think that staff of this university is enjoying their real life. They enjoy their works and also their life with family. In Japan, sometimes university staff is apt to sacrifice his family to his work. Family is very important.

However, I think PhD students should study as hard as they can. They are young so that they should obtain many knowledge to sustain this beautiful earth. Study hard and play hard. This means that they should work hard from Monday to Friday.

Your research is included in the NETME project. Could you evaluate it together with the whole concept, devices and equipment of laboratories, research workers, support, ...?

I have involved the project from this January so that it is very difficult to evaluate the NETME activity. However, I am very happy to know that my stay in BUT will be extended by involving the NETME project although my present contract will be over at the end of this August.

How do you like the Czech Republic? Have you had an opportunity to explore the beauty of South Moravia?

I am staying in Brno with my wife. Brno is a calm and high level of culture town. We love Brno and are enjoying the life in Brno. We have visited several times Janacek and Mahen theaters, and visited many beautiful Moravian places. I sometimes walk in the wild of surrounding Brno and enjoy the beautiful nature.

One of our problems is language. Czech people seem to love conversation but unfortunately I cannot participate in such a conversation. However, people in Brno are very kind and also laboratory and Euraxess staffs always help us very much so that no trouble at all in our life. The other point is food. Actually I like Czech meal although it is somewhat salty, and beer. My wife likes vegetables and fishes. She sometimes struggles that she cannot easily obtain green vegetables. There are many spaces in this country. She hopes that green vegetables will be grown up at the spaces to increase the health condition of Czech people. Nowadays we can obtain fresh sea fishes at Brno.

The Czech Republic is now developing very quickly. For example, in BUT many facilities are making and constructing. Prices are increasing. The Czech Republic is the center of Europe so that I believe this country will become the center of scholarship. That is, this country should be the center of study. I am happy if my collaboration serves in some small way to increase the research activity.